Cosmic
Patterns: Neptune & Pluto
by Celeste Longacre
Astrology is the very ancient art of
looking toward the heavens for guidance about mundane events. It is a
guidepost for us mere mortals to chart a course in alignment with cosmic
principles: "as above, so below." The celestial dance of the
planets through the backdrop of the constellations identifies for us the
greater currents of awareness in which we are participating. Astrology
sings us its song.
The two outermost planets, Neptune and
Pluto, each spend at least twelve years in one sign. Because of this,
they are considered to be generational influences. Great gobs of people
incarnate during their sojourns in each sign and they identify what the
masses, or the public, are focusing on during their journey. Let's go
back a bit to gain some historical perspective on these two dance
partners.
My own feeling is that Pluto's sign
placement represents where a generation wants to establish their power
base. From late 1914 through late 1939, planet Pluto traveled through
the astrological sign of Cancer. Cancer has to do with home and family,
patriotism and nurturing. These individuals almost always have a home
and family and join civic groups like the Rotary and the Shriners as an
extension of this sense of family into their community. They are also
largely the generation that defended the "homeland" in WW2.
Planet Neptune entered the astrological sign of Leo in 1916 to stay
until July of 1929. This group dreams (Neptune) big. They definitely
want the brass ring and they want it to be an extension of their
families. Neptune's next sojourn through Virgo (until 1943) ushered in
the depression and this bunch of souls literally dreams of reaping what
they sow (the Virgo harvest).
The Pluto in Leo group (1940 to 1956)
want to establish their power base through their own individuality,
creativity and self-expression. Neptune had a corresponding journey
through much of this period (1943 to 1956) in the sign of Libra. These
individuals dream of peace, justice and right relationships. They also
enjoy a unique happenstance in the modern history of our planet in that
there are so many of them. We even call them "baby boomers."
Their specific task was to stop history from repeating itself (yet
again). Sort of born in a crack, if you will, they have the power of
numbers and are able to defy convention (ushering in the Women's'
Movement, the Civil Rights Movement and defiance against the
military-industrial complex). I call them the transitional generation.
From 1957 to 1971, Pluto traversed the
astrological sign of Virgo and Neptune glided through Scorpio. These
people dream of cleaning up our planet (transformational Scorpio) and
establish their power base through technical means (Virgo). They brought
the computers into play in the schools and on the job. I feel strongly
that they will come up with many of our ecological answers and I call
them the transformational generation.
From 1971 through 1983, Pluto journeyed
through the astrological sign of Libra while Neptune passed through
Sagittarius. These individuals dream of cosmic consciousness
(Sagittarius) and they establish their power base through peace, justice
and right relationships. There is also an inherent equality among this
group between the sexes which is different from those who came before. I
call these beings the first of the "Aquarian Age" group.
From 1983 through 1995, planet Pluto
traveled through the sign of Scorpio. This is Pluto's own sign. These
folks are going to want to have a strong power base and will also be
somewhat invested in transformation (the last generation to have Pluto
in Scorpio was Thomas Jefferson's and his peers). Planet Neptune was
correspondingly in the sign of Capricorn until 1998. Capricorn has to do
with how we organize our world; laws, rules and regulations fall into
this category. Perhaps these souls will find new ways to set up society
as we transit into the Age of Aquarius.
As I mentioned earlier, these two planets
also have a lot to do with what our culture is currently exploring as
well as its generational influences. From 1983 to 1995, Scorpionic
issues such as child abuse, sexual misadventures and the uncovering of
secrets was all the rage. We were taking people to task for breaking the
rules (Capricorn) bigtime. Night after night on the news and in the
papers, yet more memories were surfacing and many traditions (Capricorn)
were broken. Some were busy wielding power and building empires.
Then, at the end of 1995, planet Pluto
shifted into Sagittarius. And we began seeing Angels. Humanity began
looking up instead of back (or under) and spirituality started to take
on a sharper focus. By the time Neptune slid into Aquarius at the end of
1998, the stage was set for a profound inner yearning to occur. The
Goddess came into sharper focus and books on "the inner voice"
flooded the market. Now, people are seriously questioning some of their
own values and looking for something greater. It is time. Yes, we are
entering the legendary "Age of Aquarius" although it is more
of a process than a single step. We are exploring everyone's (and
everything's) inter-connectedness. And we long to be part of a bigger
whole.
I believe that the "Age of
Aquarius" will be an age of de-ritualized magic. Human beings, who
have previously thought of God as a masculine, father-figure,
take-me-by-the-hand and tell me what to do Deity, are now needing to
shift into a new paradigm. God/Goddess is demanding that we grow up and
truly begin to co-create with Him/Her. And, our birthright - magic - is
returning. Could this be why Harry Potter is so popular with young
people all over the world?
We have put ourselves on the other side
of history; we are not limited by it anymore, but it no longer pulls us
along, either. As grown-ups, we need to make many more choices than we
used to. Who are we? What makes us happy? What does success look like to
me? When we answer these questions for ourselves, we begin to feel a
little better about our footing on this planet and the future becomes
alive with positive potentialities! Go for it!
_____________________
Celeste Longacre is a professional
speaker and the author of Love Signs and Visitor's Guide to Planet
Earth: An Astrological Primer. She is also the astrologer for The Old
Farmer's Almanac and has written for many national astrology magazines
including "Welcome to Planet Earth." Celeste also does
personal readings. This article may be reprinted in its entirety with
her permission. Visit her web at www.yourlovesigns.com
or contact her (EST daylight hours, please!) at 603.756.4152.
